Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has slammed the referees and VAR officials on duty after Manchester United’s controversial opening goal against Nott
Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has slammed the referees and VAR officials on duty after Manchester United’s controversial opening goal against Nottingham Forest, calling for urgent changes to boost officiating standards.
Sean Dyche was left fuming after Manchester United’s first goal in their 2-2 draw at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon, which stemmed from a corner he insists should never have been awarded.
The incident occurred when United were given a corner despite Forest’s Italian defender Nicolò Savona appearing to keep the ball in play.
Casemiro capitalised on the opportunity, heading home the opener much to the annoyance of Forest fans and staff, but Dyche was adamant the assistant referee made a clear error.
“You’re an assistant referee, you’re 70 yards away, and you give that?” he said, visibly frustrated.
Dyche’s anger was compounded by the fact that this was the second consecutive week Forest had conceded from a wrongly awarded corner.
The previous week, a similar officiating mistake led to a goal in their 2-0 loss to Bournemouth, for which Dyche was booked after protesting.
“Two weeks on the trot, which is bizarre in itself,” Dyche declared. “The last one was a clear mistake, proven. How on earth I get booked for an actual mistake is bizarre. Then today I just can’t understand it,” he added.
Calling for reform, Dyche urged football authorities to expand the scope of VAR to include decisions like corner awards, which currently fall outside its remit.
“It’s got to change,” he insisted, arguing that such errors have a direct impact on the outcome of matches and undermine the integrity of the game.
His comments have sparked renewed debate about the limitations of VAR and the need for greater accountability in officiating, especially in high-stakes Premier League fixtures.
Casemiro and Amad were the scorers for Manchester United, while Gibbs-White and Savonna were on target for Forest.
Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United was a massive upgrade on the strugglers, considering how poor they have been in recent games.
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